PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israel has allocated $37 million to develop more than 70 alleged Jewish heritage sites across the occupied West Bank.

Key Developments

• Israel approved $37 million to develop more than 70 alleged Jewish heritage sites in the occupied West Bank.
• The move follows legislation aimed at creating a “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority.”
  The proposed authority would oversee archaeological sites and facilitate land acquisition linked to them.
• The announcement comes amid continued expansion of illegal settlements despite international legal rulings.

$37 Million for Settlements: Israel Funds ‘Heritage Sites’ across Occupied West Bank

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz retreated from his announcement replacing the West Bank military chief after backlash from the army.

Key Developments

• Katz insisted the replacement process for Central Command chief Avi Bluth began months ago at Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir’s recommendation.
• Israeli media reported Netanyahu’s associates sought clarification after Katz’s televised announcement.
• The Israeli army said Katz’s remarks were uncoordinated and reaffirmed Zamir’s full confidence in Bluth.

Katz Backtracks on Army Commander Replacement after Netanyahu Intervention

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said resistance will continue until Israel withdraws completely, while urging Lebanon to halt concessions to Israel.

Key Developments

• Sheikh Naim Qassem said “Iran has won” the recent confrontation and dismissed any debate over the outcome.
• He vowed that the resistance will continue as long as Israel maintains its occupation of Lebanese territory.
• Qassem urged the Lebanese government to halt “free concessions” to Israel and instead engage in dialogue with the resistance.
• He said there is no objection to a public meeting with Syria’s leadership when the timing is appropriate.

‘Iran Has Won’ and Resistance Will Outlast Occupation – Sheikh Qassem

PALESTINE CHRONICLE:

War fears music, theater and painting. It fears everything that still trembles with wonder. It fears the paper kites children fashion during fragile moments of ceasefire from scraps of paper and remnants of hope salvaged from beneath the rubble.

That is why war does not confine itself to its first and most obvious purpose—the killing of human beings and the destruction of their bodies. With a particular cruelty, it pursues everything beautiful that human beings create. It seeks to erase our visual and sonic memory, lest anything remain to remind us of how we once smiled.

Along the endless water line, stretching like a dry artery between tents and the walls of shattered homes, stand dozens of people who helped shape Palestine’s cultural and intellectual landscape: writers, poets, theater practitioners, musicians, visual artists, doctors, teachers and university professors. They stand in silent dignity beneath a scorching sun that sears their exhausted bodies, waiting for their turn to fill plastic containers with drinking water.

** In Gaza’s endless water lines, three artists reveal how war devastates culture yet cannot silence the human spirit behind art.

Read the latest article by Hani al-Salmy, writing from war-torn Gaza.**

Thirsty, Wounded, Still Alive: Gaza’s Artists in the Water Line

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: A New York Times investigation has concluded that the United States used a 2,000-pound bomb to strike a family home on Iran’s Qeshm Island during overnight attacks on Thursday, killing a husband, wife and their two-year-old son.

Drawing on satellite imagery, videos, photographs and munition fragments, the newspaper determined that the weapon used was a US-made Mark-84 bomb fitted with a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit.

The conclusion was supported by Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal technician and analyst at Armament Research Services, and Frederic Gras, a French munitions consultant, both of whom reviewed the available evidence.

The strike hit the Chah-Tangu neighborhood of Qeshm City, a densely populated residential area overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. The Times geolocated the attack using bystander footage and satellite imagery, finding that it left a crater measuring at least 30 feet across and destroyed several nearby buildings.

US Strike Killed Family in Iran with 2,000-Pound Bomb – NYT Report

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed Gaza negotiations while reaffirming support for Palestine and regional coordination.

Key Developments

• Khalil al-Hayya briefed Masoud Pezeshkian on the latest Gaza negotiations and political developments.
• Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran’s continued support for the Palestinian cause despite ongoing attacks on Iran.
• Both sides stressed unity, coordination, and support for the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights.

Pezeshkian Reaffirms Iran’s Support for Palestine in Call with Hamas Leader al-Hayya

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Gaza’s Health Ministry warned that medicine shortages have reached catastrophic levels, leaving cancer patients without treatment and pushing healthcare toward collapse.

Key Developments

• Gaza’s Health Ministry said 61% of cancer and blood-disorder medicines are unavailable, placing patients at immediate risk.
• Overall medicine shortages have reached 47%, while laboratory testing materials are depleted by 85%.
• Officials renewed calls for urgent international intervention after Israeli attacks damaged medicine warehouses at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Gaza Health Ministry Warns 61% of Cancer Drugs Have Run Out amid Israeli Siege

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Iran and Oman are reportedly close to an agreement to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Key Developments

• The New York Times reports Iran and Oman are nearing an agreement on new shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iranian officials say the agreement would include a shared service fee, while US officials dispute that account.
• Tehran denies Trump’s claim that negotiations with Washington are underway, insisting talks are limited to Oman.

Iran, Oman Near Hormuz Deal as Tehran Denies Trump Talks

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly rejected a ceasefire and military withdrawal from Gaza under the Board of Peace’s proposed roadmap.

Key Developments

• Netanyahu reportedly told the Board of Peace that Israel will neither ceasefire nor withdraw from Gaza.
• Two Israeli ministers urged the government to block the deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF).
• Hamas said it remains committed to the second phase of the agreement and is awaiting an official response from the Board of Peace.
• Israeli forces carried out another deadly strike in Gaza despite renewed diplomatic efforts.

Netanyahu Digs in: No Ceasefire, No Withdrawal from Gaza

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Leaked Elbit documents reveal extensive Israeli arms negotiations with the UAE, including advanced drones, surveillance aircraft and precision weapons.

Key Takeaways

• Leaked internal files show Elbit proposed supplying the UAE with up to 45 Hermes 900 drones in a deal worth approximately $1.3 billion.
• The documents detail Emirati interest in intelligence aircraft, loitering munitions, bunker-busting bombs and precision-guidance kits.
• Israel-UAE military cooperation has deepened since the Abraham Accords, culminating in Iron Dome deployments during the recent war with Iran.

Leaked Files Reveal Secret Israeli Arms Deals with UAE Worth Billions – Haaretz

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Palestinian detainees held in Israel’s Megiddo Prison are facing worsening conditions marked by hunger, medical neglect, poor sanitation, and prolonged confinement.

Key Developments

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Palestinian detainees reportedly face severe food shortages and inadequate medical care.

• A lawyer documented deteriorating conditions during a visit to Megiddo Prison.
• Prisoners suffer from weight loss, limited access to hygiene, and prolonged confinement.
• Rights groups say more than 100 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody since October 2023.

Palestinian Detainees Face Starvation, Medical Neglect at Israel’s Megiddo Prison

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: At least 22 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours as Israel continued violating the ceasefire agreement, with strikes targeting residential apartments, vehicles, and civilian areas.

Key Developments

• Israeli strikes killed at least 22 Palestinians across Gaza in the past 24 hours.
• Among the victims were women and children killed in attacks on residential apartments.
• Gaza’s Health Ministry said 1,230 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.
• The overall death toll since October 2023 has risen to 73,356.

Israeli Strikes Kill 22 Across Gaza as Ceasefire Violations Continue

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: At least 22 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours as Israel continued violating the ceasefire agreement, with strikes targeting residential apartments, vehicles, and civilian areas.

Key Developments

• Israeli strikes killed at least 22 Palestinians across Gaza in the past 24 hours.
• Among the victims were women and children killed in attacks on residential apartments.
• Gaza’s Health Ministry said 1,230 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.
• The overall death toll since October 2023 has risen to 73,356.

Israeli Strikes Kill 22 Across Gaza as Ceasefire Violations Continue

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli settlers attacked several Palestinian communities across the West Bank as new official figures showed Israeli forces and settlers carried out 2,256 attacks during July alone.

Key Developments

• Two Palestinians were injured in a settler assault near Hebron.
• Israeli settlers attacked homes and vehicles in several West Bank communities.
• Israeli forces conducted raids in Ramallah and Nablus, carrying out arrests.
• Official figures recorded 2,256 Israeli army and settler attacks across the West Bank in July.

2,256 Attacks in One Month: Israeli Army, Settlers Intensify West Bank Assaults

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli settlers attacked an Armenian church in Jerusalem’s Old City, spitting at its entrance and hurling stones, as Palestinian officials warned of a continued rise in attacks targeting Christian holy sites.

Key Developments

• Israeli extremists spat at and threw stones toward an Armenian church in occupied East Jerusalem.
• The Jerusalem Governorate published footage of the attack.
• Palestinian officials say at least 45 attacks have targeted Christians and Christian holy sites this year.

Israeli Extremists Attack Armenian Church in Occupied Jerusalem – Video

With trembling hands, faltering words, an emaciated body, and a voice barely audible from the intensity of his pain, S.Th., 38, began recounting the brutal circumstances of his arrest.

What began as an attempt to flee Israeli bombardment through what Israel had designated a “safe corridor” during its ongoing genocide in Gaza ended with months of torture in Israeli interrogation facilities and the Negev Desert Prison.

“After nights of relentless bombardment around our home in Gaza City, my mother, my wife, and I decided to leave,” S.Th. told the Palestine Chronicle. “My wife was in critical condition after miscarrying because of the overwhelming fear and terror.”

The family walked toward Kuwait Roundabout before reaching the so-called safe corridor at the Netzarim checkpoint.

“What awaited us there,” he said, “was even more horrifying than the bombardment itself.”

“My mother leaned on my shoulder the entire way, and all of us held our ID cards high above our heads,” he recalled. “Without any warning, an Israeli officer emerged from behind a sand berm and called out in clear Arabic: ‘Hey, you with the ID who’s fanning your mother, come here.’”

**An exclusive testimony recounts a Gaza survivor’s ordeal through Israeli interrogation centers, torture, starvation, and prolonged arbitrary detention without charge.**

Read the latest article by Shaimaa Eid, reporting from war-torn Gaza.

‘A Living Hell’: A Gaza Survivor Recalls Torture in Israeli Detention

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: When a gunman opens fire in a crowded venue or a vehicle plows into pedestrians in Berlin, New York, or London, the linguistic reflex of Western corporate media is swift and predictable. If the perpetrator bears an Arabic/Muslim name or background, the media seizes upon terms like “Islamic terrorism,” “radical extremist,” or “jihadist plot.” Faith is immediately elevated as the primary interpretation for the unlawful act.

Yet, when similar acts of mass violence, domestic bloodshed or ideologically motivated murder are committed by individuals identifying as Christian, Jewish or other major Western traditions, the nomenclature shifts dramatically. They are routinely characterized as “lone wolves,” “troubled youth,” “mentally unstable” outcasts or victims of personal grievance. Their religious texts, affiliations or institutions are rarely, if ever, offered up as breeding grounds for terror.

This disparity is not a product of fair journalism or academic discourse. It is an institutionalized rigid double standard shaped by global politics, systemic bias and old ideas about human worth.

The root of the imbalance—the “othering” of one group over another—lies in how newsrooms, classrooms and political systems have constructed and manipulated the concept of “threat.”

Read the latest article by Dr. M. Reza Behnam.

Framing Fear: How the Corporate Media Weaponizes Islam in ‘Terror’ Coverage

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: In recent years—prior to the genocidal war on Gaza—the collapse of the Oslo Accords and the fading illusion of the two-state solution led to the emergence of several alternative political proposals to resolve the colonial conflict in Palestine. Most prominent among these is the one democratic state vision, which primarily takes two forms: a unitary state or a binational state.

The most recent iteration is the seven-year-old One Democratic State Campaign (ODSC), which builds its program on the original liberation project endorsed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1971. The ODSC, a Palestinian-led campaign, has updated this original program by drawing on the extensive literature produced by Palestinian intellectuals, academics, and politically educated activists since the late 1990s. While these two forms disagree on certain issues, they diverge from traditional models on one fundamental component: the necessity of dismantling the structures of colonial domination and creating a single state—either with three parliaments or with one parliament, one constitution, and one judiciary. The ODSC adopts the unitary state model as the fairest and most sustainable solution.

Recently, however, an Arab- Israeli Jewish initiative titled Two States in One Homeland has emerged, claiming to offer an alternative to the traditional two-state solution. In reality, it is merely a recycling of an already defunct paradigm—one effectively destroyed by the Israeli colonial and genocidal regime.

Read the latest article by Awad Abdelfattah.

Two States in One Homeland: Recycling a Politically Defunct Partition Paradigm

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced a new Central Command chief following a public dispute over restrictions imposed on an illegal settler.

Key Developments

• Yisrael Katz announced Major General Dado Bar-Khaliva as the next head of the Israeli army’s Central Command, replacing Major General Avi Bluth.
• The move followed a public dispute over administrative restrictions imposed on illegal settler, Tal Yinon Dardik.
• Katz defended the appointment as part of his security policy, stressing that military commanders must implement the government’s direction.

Katz Replaces West Bank Commander after Clash over Settler Restrictions

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Iran said talks with Oman are reshaping navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while warning any US attack would trigger retaliation.

Key Developments

• Iran said talks with Oman are focused on establishing a new navigation mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz, independent of any third party.
• Tehran rejected President Donald Trump’s claims that it had agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or requested a deal with Washington.
• Iran warned that any country facilitating US military action against Iranian infrastructure would face a “legitimate” and proportionate response.

Iran, Oman Negotiating New Hormuz Route as Tehran Warns against US Aggression

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Five Lebanese soldiers were injured in southern Lebanon after a suspicious object exploded during an army operation, as Israeli forces carried out fresh explosions, shelling, and drone activity.

Key Developments

• Five Lebanese soldiers were injured when a suspicious object exploded in Kafra.
• The Lebanese army said the blast occurred while troops were escorting civilians.
• Israeli forces carried out explosions, shelling, and drone operations across southern Lebanon.
• The incidents mark the latest violations of the US-mediated ceasefire framework.

Israeli Violations Continue in South Lebanon as Blast Injures Five Lebanese Soldiers

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: IRGC said attempts to disarm Hamas have already failed, while vowing that retaliation for the assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh and Iran’s late leader Ali Khamenei is “inevitable.”

Key Takeaways

• The IRGC said efforts to disarm Hamas have ended in “strategic failure.”
• Iran pledged that retaliation for the killings of Ismail Haniyeh and Ali Khamenei is “inevitable” and will be “harsh and decisive.”
• The statement marked the second anniversary of Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.
• The IRGC accused the US and its allies of complicity in Israel’s actions across Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

Iran’s IRGC: Hamas Disarmament Plot Has Failed, Haniyeh Revenge ‘Inevitable’

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: A German appeals court has overturned the conviction of a woman who compared Israel’s actions to those of Nazi Germany on social media.

Key Developments

• A German appeals court acquitted a woman convicted over pro-Palestine Instagram posts comparing Israel to Nazi Germany.
• The court ruled the posts constituted protected political expression rather than unlawful use of Nazi symbols.
• Judges said the images clearly conveyed condemnation of Nazism rather than support for it.
• The ruling overturned a lower court decision imposing a €2,400 fine.

German Court Rules Comparing Israel to Nazi Regime is Protected Speech

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli occupation forces intensified raids across the occupied West Bank as illegal settlers expanded outposts, attacked communities, and seized more Palestinian land.

Key Developments

• Israeli forces carried out raids, arrests, and incursions across multiple West Bank governorates, firing live ammunition and tear gas during operations.
• Illegal Israeli Jewish settlers established a new settlement outpost near Hebron, sabotaged electricity infrastructure near Nablus, and continued attacks on Palestinian communities.
• Israeli military orders confiscated hundreds of dunams of Palestinian land near al-Bireh to construct settlement roads linking illegal settlements.

Israel Raids West Bank Communities as Illegal Settlers Seize More Palestinian Land

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: US President Donald Trump said he canceled planned military strikes on Iran after requests from Tehran and regional countries to allow more time for negotiations.

Key Developments

• Trump said he halted planned strikes to give diplomacy a chance.
• Mohammed bin Salman urged de-escalation and warned against a broader regional conflict.
• Reports indicate Gulf states intensified diplomatic efforts to prevent a new US attack on Iran.
• Iran warned it was prepared to retaliate against US and Israeli energy infrastructure if attacked.

Trump Halts Planned Iran Strikes as MBS Pushes for Regional De-Escalation

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli attacks killed at least 17 Palestinians across Gaza as ceasefire violations continued despite announcements of progress toward implementing a new agreement.

Key Developments

• Israeli attacks killed at least 17 Palestinians across Gaza over the past 24 hours, including families, a recently released prisoner, and children.
• Israeli forces also struck a medicines warehouse at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, prompting warnings of an accelerating collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system.
• The attacks continued despite announcements that mediators had reached an agreement on implementing the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

Israeli Attacks across Gaza Kill 17 as Ceasefire Violations Continue for 297th Day

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Behind the image of a stable, modern, and sovereign kingdom lies a system built on dependency, diplomatic duplicity, and the preservation of power. The Moroccan mirage consists precisely in this gap between the official narrative and a reality where proclaimed sovereignty often masks strategic servitude.

All politics is ultimately judged by what it conceals of what it promises. For six decades, Morocco has elevated this to an art: silence draped in words, a monarchy that speaks of independence while cultivating dependency, that celebrates sovereignty while ceaselessly negotiating the external conditions of its survival. It invokes the Ummah, then forgets it; exalts Jerusalem in its diplomatic orations, yet deepens its alliances with those who trample it. Arab in language, it becomes, in the time of genocide, the standard-bearer of Zionism in its sub-region. Not through error but through deliberate choice. By design.

This system obeys a single principle: its own duration. To this perpetuation, everything is subordinate — collective memory, solemn commitments, historical loyalties, and even the very idea of political freedom. The throne does not defend a nation: it administers a continuity, a vassal state.

Observers marvel at the apparent contradictions. They cease to be so once one abandons the notion that the nation is the true subject of this policy. The priority is not the national interest but the preservation of the system. What seemed incoherent becomes remarkably coherent.

Read the latest commentary by Mohamed El Mokhtar.

The Moroccan Mirage: Power, Dependency, and the Manufacture of Stability

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: In recent days, an eruption of news on a tiny geographical location known as Ceuta, 250 miles to the east along North Africa’s Mediterranean coast, constituting the EU’s only land border with Africa, has grabbed public attention.

While reports on Ceuta have sought to make sense of the reasons why it has become a migration flashpoint, the politics of hate against Spain driven by the United States, Israel and Morocco is largely under-reported. Undoubtedly, Spain’s increasingly independent position on Gaza has placed it on a collision course with the US-Israeli regional agenda.

Clearly by design, the series of events unfolding across the western Mediterranean suggests that Madrid’s foreign policy choices are carrying geopolitical consequences far beyond the diplomatic arena.

Spain has emerged as one of Europe’s strongest critics of Israel’s genocide and ongoing military campaign in Gaza. It recognized the State of Palestine, called for accountability over alleged war crimes, opposed aspects of military cooperation with Israel, and reportedly refused the use of Spanish bases for offensive operations linked to the conflict with Iran

Read the latest commentary by Iqbal Jassat.

Spain’s Defiance Sparks a New Front: Ceuta and the Geopolitics of Retaliation

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: A New York Times analysis argues that six months of war have left the United States strategically weaker, with Iran retaining leverage over the Strait of Hormuz while America’s allies increasingly question Washington’s credibility and global leadership.

Key Takeaways

• The New York Times says the US has failed to achieve its principal objectives despite months of war.
• Analysts interviewed by the newspaper argue Iran has preserved its most important strategic leverage through the Strait of Hormuz.
• European and Middle Eastern allies are increasingly questioning US reliability as a security guarantor.
• The report concludes the conflict risks becoming another prolonged American war without a clear path to victory.

Trump’s Iran War Is Heading Toward ‘Strategic Defeat’ – NYT Analysis

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Iran warned it is fully prepared to retaliate against any US or Israeli attack on its infrastructure, saying any aggression would trigger a broad response.

Key Developments

• A senior Iranian security official said Tehran has prepared a comprehensive response plan targeting Israeli critical infrastructure and US energy assets in the region.
• Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Saudi Arabia that any participation in attacks against Iran would draw a “decisive and proportionate” response.
• The warnings come after reports that Washington is considering new strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure.

Iran Prepares Broad Retaliation, Araghchi Warns Gulf States over US, Israeli Plans